How many times have you lost a mobile device and wished you had a way to locate it? Maybe you carry around sensitive data, photos, or videos on your phone. What would happen if your phone landed in the wrong hands? Wouldn’t it be great if you could ensure maximum security for your phone–even after you’ve lost it? Thanks to Bitdefender’s new anti-theft solution, you can!

Bitdefender Anti-Theft is available for Windows XP, Vista, and 7 as well as Android devices. At this time, there is no support for other mobile devices. Bitdefender Anti-Theft costs $29.95 for a 1-year subscription that covers 3 separate devices. There is an option to add 2 more devices to coverage for an extra $10.

Recently, we gave away Bitdefender Total Security 2013, a full-featured security suite packed with a ton of awesome securing power. If you missed out on that, don’t fret. This time around, we’re giving away 25 one-year subscriptions for Bitdefender Anti-Theft worth a total of $750 for FREE!

With Bitdefender Anti-Theft, you’ll have peace of mind that no matter what happens, you’ll always have access to your mobile devices. This kind of mental freedom is priceless! So if you want a copy of Bitdefender Anti-Theft, read through this review. You’ll find the giveaway details at the bottom of this post.

Review of Bitdefender Anti-Theft

For both Windows and Android, the Bitdefender Anti-Theft installation process is an absolute breeze. I didn’t encounter any hiccups along the way. Once you’ve installed the program, however, you’ll need to perform some setup before it can protect your devices.

Bitdefender has an online account management service called MyBitdefender, which you’ll need in order to use their Anti-Theft program. Account creation is absolutely free, though, so there’s no need to worry about that.

For the Windows version, there aren’t very many settings that you can configure. If you’ve installed Bitdefender Anti-Theft onto a laptop, then Bitdefender can use GPS and WiFi data to track your computer’s location. The most important bit of information here is the time you have until your license expires. That’s about it.

Now let’s move onto the Android version. I was able to search and install Bitdefender Anti-Theft through Google Play in under a minute. Once it’s installed, you’ll need to log into your MyBitdefender account before you can activate Anti-Theft.

Bitdefender Anti-Theft on Android requires you to setup a PIN in order to protect your device from physical thievery. After all, what use would it be to install Anti-Theft if someone could simply disable it?

Keep in mind that Bitdefender Anti-Theft requires you to grant permissions to the app as a Device Administrator. As a Device Administrator, Anti-Theft will have full access to your device’s operations in order to maximize security. Without the PIN, you will not be able to disable or uninstall Anti-Theft.

Like the Windows version, the Android settings don’t offer much customization–not that there is much of a need for customizing. Other than changing your PIN and upgrading/extending your license, there’s not much to do here.

Here are the main features of Bitdefender Anti-Theft for Android: Web Control and SMS Control. Through SMS and Web Control, you can:

Locate your device. Using GPS and WiFi information, Anti-Theft will find the location of your device. The accuracy will depend on the accuracy of your device’s GPS and WiFi capabilities.

Lock your device. This control will deter thieves from accessing certain data on your phone, like private pictures or confidential files.

Wipe your device. If the data on your device is so sensitive that you can’t afford the risk, then this feature will simply wipe everything from your device without leaving any option for recovery. This control should be saved for absolute last resort situations.

Alert your device. This control will cause your device to emit an alarm–even if it’s set to silent! This is great for when your phone is lost somewhere in your home or if you’ve simply misplaced it.

Receive alerts whenever the SIM card in your phone has been replaced. If someone tries stealing your phone and uses their own SIM, the new phone number will be sent in an SMS message to a trusted phone number that you can configure.

Annual subscriptions for Bitdefender Anti-Theft (for 3 or 5 devices) may be purchased from their online store. We’re giving away 25 one-year subscriptions to all of our loyal and beloved MakeUseOf fans and readers. As a reminder, Bitdefender Anti-Theft will only run on Windows XP, Vista, 7, and Android devices.

How do I win a copy?

It’s simple, just follow the instructions. Please note that we’ve included a new entry method which utilises your MakeUseOf points.

Step 2: Share!

Alternative entry method: Use your points!

If you don’t have a Facebook, Twitter or Google+ account, you may exchange your MakeUseOf points for an entry into the competition. It’s really simple: create a MakeUseOf account, earn points and exchange your points for an entry! Learn more about our Game system and Rewards program.

To exchange your points for quick entry, you must be logged in

This giveaway begins now and ends Friday, July 27th. The winners will be selected at random and informed via email.